Key words: instructional materials, selection, inspection, reconsideration, criteria.
Selection and Inspection. Persons Involved. The selection of instructional materials shall be
delegated to the licensed instructional staff, under the supervision of the administrative staff. Parents,
students, other staff and community members may be asked to serve on selection committees.
Responsibility for coordinating the selection of text materials will rest with the curriculum committee.
The Board retains the right to approve all textbooks after receiving a recommendation from the
Superintendent. Material purchased for school libraries shall be recommended for purchase by the
licensed professional personnel of the library in consultation with administrative staff and instructional
staff. All material recommended shall be approved by the building administrator.
Criteria. In selecting instructional materials, the following criteria should be considered:
a. Instructional materials should support the educational philosophy, goals and objectives of the
District and the objectives of the curricular offering in which the materials will be used.
b. Instructional materials should be appropriate for the age, emotional and social development, and
ability level of the students for whom the materials are selected.
c. Instructional materials should be diverse with respect to levels of difficulty, reader appeal, and
should present a variety of points of view.
d. Instructional materials should meet high standards of quality in factual content and presentation.
e. Instructional materials should have aesthetic, cultural, literary, or social value. The value and
impact of any literary work will be judged as a whole, taking into account the author’s intent rather
than individual words, phrases or incidents.
f. Instructional materials should foster respect for men, women, the disabled, and minority groups
and should portray a variety of roles and life styles open to people in today’s world. Instructional
materials should foster respect for cultural diversity.
g. Instructional materials should be designed to motivate students to examine their own attitudes and
behaviors and to comprehend their own duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges as participating
citizens in a pluralistic society.
h. Instructional materials should encourage students to utilize higher order thinking skills and to
become informed decision-makers, to exercise freedom of thought and to make independent judgments
through examination and evaluation of relevant information, evidence and differing viewpoints.
i. Instructional materials should be selected taking into account instructional materials already
available in the District in order to meet the above criteria and in order to replace materials worn,
obsolete or no longer appropriate. Licensed professional staff shall provide for constant and continuing
renewal of the collection not only by the addition of up-to-date material, but by the judicious
elimination of materials which no longer meet needs or find use.